HEBERT: Three new federalist stars rising in Quebec

They may not flock together, but in many crucial ways, Thomas Mulcair, Justin Trudeau and Philippe Couillard — Quebec’s rising federalist stars — are birds of a feather, and bright ones at that.

Together, the NDP leader and the early frontrunners in the federal and Quebec Liberal leadership campaigns put the lie to the notion that the province’s federalist talent pool has dried up.

In his days as Quebec health minister a few years ago, Couillard used to dazzle many of his provincial colleagues with his command of the file. As a neurosurgeon, he benefited from hands-on experience with the system. But it was the clarity with which he handled complex issues that impressed those who came in contact with him.

Some of that intellectual prowess was in evidence when he launched his bid to succeed Jean Charest as Quebec Liberal leader earlier this month. Couillard is the kind of articulate leadership candidate that any party aspiring to government anywhere in Canada would be happy to get its hands on.

After less than a year in the job, Thomas Mulcair is widely considered the most lethal official Opposition leader Stephen Harper has faced to date and certainly the first to boast a killer instinct on par with that of the prime minister. For better or for worse, the sound of their sparring is that of metal against metal.

Among Mulcair’s lesser known but now more apparent natural gifts is an undeniable sense of timing. That is an indispensable asset to successful political leaders that can be nurtured but rarely acquired.

Finally, the NDP’s first Quebec-based leader is also the first to bring experience in government to the role since former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas led the party in the 1960s.

Even before he launched his leadership bid, Justin Trudeau’s rock star popularity put him in a class of his own. His mere decision to run for the top Liberal job is already a game-changer, at least on the front of party morale.

Trudeau is a big draw with some constituencies that have traditionally been reluctant to engage in politics.

His name resonates within the country’s diverse cultural communities and his style appeals to scores of younger voters. In Quebec, he can claim credit for having put a friendlier face on the Trudeau name.

Neither Mulcair nor Couillard nor Trudeau has the makings of a good soldier; none has truly bloomed in a second-tier position.

Mulcair and Couillard chafed under the authority of premier Jean Charest, with whom they both had major policy collisions. Neither achieved the status of a trusted insider in the power circle of the leader they served under.

There are only a few words that come to mind to describe Trudeau’s six-year contribution to the parliamentary debate, and essential is not one of them.

The first two are clearly better suited to the politics of power than games of opposition. Based on his unremarkable performance in the Commons to date, one can only hope that is also true of Trudeau.

Trudeau may well turn out to be too shallow, Couillard too arrogant, and Mulcair too polarizing to make it to the top of the political pyramid they are currently scaling.

But two of them could also be installed in the leading roles in Parliament and the National Assembly within a five-year horizon. Between now and then, they will certainly put to the test the (dubious) proposition that Quebec is now consigned to the margins of Canada’s politics.

At a time when a majority of Canada’s premiers are bilingual, the fact that Couillard, Trudeau and Mulcair are word-perfect in both official languages is less striking than their credentials as unconditional federalists.

In a referendum, they would make a formidable trio.

On that score, the three of them may be more representative of the shape of things to come in Quebec than the somewhat talent-challenged sovereigntist government that was elected last month.